An historic mission began early on Wednesday (25 June) as astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) for their countries’ first-ever visit. They were joined by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson.
The crew lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at approximately 2:30 a.m. EDT, embarking on a mission organized by Texas-based startup Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX.
The four astronauts - Peggy Whitson of the U.S., Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary - were carried aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket.
This launch marked the first Crew Dragon flight since Elon Musk briefly considered retiring the spacecraft amid political tensions earlier this month.
After a roughly 28-hour flight, the capsule is expected to dock with the ISS, orbiting 402 kilometres (250 miles) above Earth.
Onboard, the crew will spend 14 days conducting microgravity research alongside the station’s current seven occupants - three Americans, one Japanese, and three Russian cosmonauts.
For India, Poland, and Hungary, this mission represents a major milestone: their first human spaceflight missions to the ISS in more than 40 years. The flight also acts as a stepping stone for India’s Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft, planned for launch in 2027.
Leading the crew is Peggy Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut and the first woman to command two ISS expeditions. With 675 days in space - the U.S. record - Whitson now serves as Axiom’s director of human spaceflight.
The mission was delayed by one day due to the weather but successfully launched early Wednesday, marking the fourth private astronaut flight arranged by Axiom since 2022 as the company expands its commercial space endeavours.
Uzbekistan is preparing for one of its hottest weeks of the year, with electricity demand expected to approach a record as temperatures are forecast t...
Iran has said it remains determined to pursue legal action against Israel and the United States over the deaths of senior officials and civilians duri...
Britain has moved to target Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and another Iran-linked organisation using new state-threat powers followi...
Iran has said it remains determined to pursue legal action against Israel and the United States over the deaths of senior officials and civilians during recent military confrontations, insisting it will seek accountability through international bodies.
Britain has moved to target Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and another Iran-linked organisation using new state-threat powers following a series of antisemitic incidents across the country.
Pakistan on Sunday expressed "deep concern" over the latest escalation in the Middle East following renewed military exchanges between the U.S. and Iran. It urged all sides to exercise restraint and honour commitments made under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The UK has announced a fresh round of sanctions against individuals and organisations it says are responsible for cyber attacks and hybrid operations linked to Russian intelligence, in a move aimed at countering efforts to destabilise Europe.
The 4th Shusha Global Media Forum will bring together nearly 160 media leaders, experts and officials from 54 countries in Azerbaijan's historic city of Shusha on 13-14 July, to discuss journalism’s role in peacebuilding, restoring public trust and tackling challenges.
The U.S. has launched fresh strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted a container ship and said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also claimed to have expanded attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf.
Typhoon Bavi, the strongest storm to hit the eastern coast of mainland China this year, brought heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and landslides after making landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday. More than 2.8 million people were evacuated to safety ahead of the storm.
President Ilham Aliyev is holding his annual question-and-answer session with international journalists at the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum in Azerbaijan.
Qatar is mourning the death of its former ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who has passed away at the age of 74.
China has successfully tested an experimental rocket recovery system using a net attached to an offshore platform, marking a major step in its efforts to develop reusable rockets and compete with U.S. space technology.
OpenAI on Thursday unveiled ChatGPT Work, a new artificial intelligence agent designed to help professionals create documents, presentations and websites using advanced coding capabilities without requiring programming expertise.
A Swiss humanoid robot capable of displaying the faces of world leaders and business executives was showcased at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva on Tuesday (7 July). Developers said the technology could make human-machine interactions more natural and expressive.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that artificial intelligence is developing faster than governments and regulators can manage, calling for globally coordinated rules to reduce risks and ensure the technology is used safely, particularly by children.
Humanoid robots stumbled, collided and recovered as they battled for the RoboCup 2026 football title on Sunday (5 July), showcasing the latest advances in robotics and artificial intelligence at the world's largest competition of its kind.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment